Category Archives: mental health

Today is World Schizophrenia Day

Posted on May 24, 2023 by bullersbackporch

Over 20 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia. Historic examples of people with schizophrenia have included Vincent Van Gogh, Zelda Fitzgerald, Veronica Lake, and Vaslav Nijinsky. Several famous 60s musicians such as Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Skip Spence (Moby Grape), … Continue reading →

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Posted on May 8, 2023 by bullersbackporch

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month. When we say “mental health” many people think mental health problems or mental health issues. Hence, there remains a stigma about even talking about mental health. Well, mental health can also refer to wellness. We … Continue reading →

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Testing THC in the Psych Ward (Part 3)

Posted on October 31, 2021 by bullersbackporch

“Crazy Hallowe’en, huh?” “Really. Quietest one I’ve had in years.” My fellow THC test subject, Hal, and I had figured on a wild Hallowe’en in the psych ward, complete with visions, spirits, demons, and various hallucinations. Not a chance, it … Continue reading →

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Testing THC in the Psych Ward (Part 2)

Posted on October 29, 2021 by bullersbackporch

On Monday morning, I reported to the program office. They handed me a 14-page “informed consent” waiver to read and sign. The first several pages discussed THC, its known effects and every conceivable side effect involved with the intravenous administration, … Continue reading →

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Testing THC in the Psych Ward (Part 1)

Posted on October 27, 2021 by bullersbackporch

“Do you smoke marijuana?” I looked around nervously before whispering, “Yes.” “Good — we’re looking for volunteers for a THC experiment.” 1977 — the whole year had been bad, starting with Mike Eddy’s death and Granny’s stroke. I spent the … Continue reading →

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Posted on May 19, 2021 by bullersbackporch

I’m glad they chose the name Mental Health Awareness month. We all have mental health. Unfortunately, most people tend to think of mental health strictly in terms of mental illness, as if that’s all it can mean. My 20 years … Continue reading →

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Sing a Song of Skip Spence

Posted on April 18, 2021 by bullersbackporch

Listen, my friends…TURN IT UP! Today would have been Alex “Skip” Spence‘s 75th birthday — had he survived this long. He died in 1999, two days short of his 53rd birthday but not before he left a lasting legacy in … Continue reading →

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Burn, Zozobra, Burn!

Posted on September 4, 2020 by bullersbackporch

How did I not know of this tradition until this week? On the other hand, what better year than 2020 to first learn about Zozobra? This “news” reached me just in time to watch the Fire Spirit consume  & destroy … Continue reading →

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No Regrets

Posted on August 31, 2020 by bullersbackporch

Tip of the hat for today’s topic goes to Mark Blumenthal of the American Botanical Council. I first met Mark in passing years ago as a friend of the folks who ran Nothing Strikes Back. A few years back, I … Continue reading →

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Get Happy!

Posted on September 9, 2017 by bullersbackporch

Happiness is an inside job. —William Arthur Ward In our Declaration of Independence, we celebrate and venerate “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” — not happiness itself, mind you, but instead, the pursuit of happiness. Through the ages, humans … Continue reading →

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